Robert E. Paine

Robert E. Paine was an influential ecologist known for his work on predator-prey relationships and biodiversity. He conducted experiments in marine environments, particularly on rocky shores, to show how predators like sea stars help maintain balanced ecosystems by controlling the population of prey species such as mussels. Paine's research demonstrated that predators are crucial for ecosystem health and diversity, challenging earlier views that ecosystems are stable without their presence. His work laid the foundation for understanding how food webs function and the importance of keystone species in maintaining ecological stability.